Things were going surprisingly well. A little too well, in fact. I was almost suspicious by how easily this had all gone down for us. As we all stood around the compound, just outside the camera range, I heard over my earpiece the news that Annie Lee and Stanley had just launched their attack on the church.

Unsurprisingly, the Cornies had been thrilled to help Annie Lee and Stanley with their takedown. Joshua Mendrion had been speaking there tonight, which meant that he and the cult of would-be dragon slayers he pandered to would meet their maker.

Annie Lee and Stanley had worked with the Cornies to put together a group of over three dozen armed men and women, and every last one of them was wearing a damned unicorn head.

Annie Lee had told us that they’d been ready for a full-scale attack like this for some time anyway, given the way The Man was always watching them.

The Cornies probably thought they were doing it to protect the unicorns—which they were, in a roundabout kind of way. We all knew the unicorns would have been next on Orris’ agenda once he learned of their continued existence, if he didn’t already know.

Any magical creatures capable of possibly thwarting his plans for world dominance would automatically make his hit list. And as we’d seen on the video where the dragon had been slain, and through Nathan’s kidnapping, these people were not afraid to bloody their hands in pursuit of hatred under his guidance.

Stanley had coordinated an attack that would ensure the entire church burnt down. If anyone managed to escape, they would let them go. We weren’t bloodthirsty savages, after all. Joshua Mendrian, on the other hand, would not survive the night.

There were some sins that could not be forgiven, and some measures that had to be taken to make sure that we kept our families safe. Now that I had Nathan and our unborn child in my life, I understood that better than ever. I would protect what was mine, just as Cory, Blaze, and Sana would protect what was theirs.

… And just like the unicorns would for their own kin. We weren’t all that different, when it came down to it. Stanley had given his solemn vow to Mama Vee that he would make sure Joshua Mendrian did not survive.

She considered that her revenge for the poor dragon he’d killed in pursuit of greatness. The church had to burn, because that’s where they’d held her Natty boy. Simple as that.

As we’d planned, I set a sandstorm in motion the moment I heard the news that the other team had begun their attack. Using the sand, I was able to blind the cameras so we could get close while going undetected.

The sand, as it turned out, served a duplicate purpose—the guards, lacking the proper equipment to handle the gusting winds and blasting sand, were all huddled in their shack.

Now that we had the guards out of the way, Sam and Blaze slipped in through the gate—one of Sam’s gadgets disengaged the electrical circuitry keeping it closed and allowed us instant access.

I directed the sand away from Sam and Blaze as they hurried over to the control panel. Once Sam had the full system override in place, the unicorns would move in.

Beyond the gates, there was activity. I grinned and shook my head as I spotted a man dart through a side door of the compound like the building was already on fire.

I’d recognize that bastard anywhere—Beepee bore a strong family resemblance to all the other unicorn kin… especially when he was partially transformed.

He’d shifted just enough so that his long golden horn stuck out from the center of his forehead—a sign that he was one of the good guys. It sparkled even through the thick sandstorm.

Damned unicorns, always having to be the center of attention. Although I had to admit, the guy did have a certain panache.

I directed the sand to let Beepee dash over to the control panel to help Sam so that Blaze could join the rest of our team for our aerial assault.

Once I got the all-clear signal from Blaze, I gave the hand motion for the unicorns to come forward. Sam had managed to outfit them all in bulletproof gear and hats that were remarkably thin and lightweight.

My boy was still concerned for them, and was equally as upset with me for leaving him at home. He’d stubbornly refused to speak to me the day before we’d left, but in the end, had relented and given me a goodbye kiss.

A silent goodbye kiss, but a kiss nevertheless.

I didn’t care that he was upset with me—I understood how he felt. But no matter how negatively he felt toward me, I would not allow him to follow us into battle.

As long as he was safe, he could be as angry as he wanted to be. Protecting him was my first priority.

As soon as the unicorns came charging forward in their gear, my men and I all stripped down and shifted into our dragon forms. As one, we lifted into the air, taking care not to hit any unicorns as we began setting the buildings before us on fire.

To do so, I had to let the sandstorm die down—my mind couldn’t be in that many places at once. I had to trust the unicorns to do their part while I focused on guiding the fire that our flames had set in motion.

From somewhere down below I heard Mama Vee’s signature rebel yell as she led the ground attack. She rode on the back of a large unicorn who was so attuned to her will that it could only be Ernie.

The unicorns stormed forward, bursting onto the scene to attack the new onslaught of hunters now pouring from the flaming buildings. I flinched despite myself as I saw a unicorn spear a hunter with his horn while another trampled the fallen body under his hooves as they thundered past.

The five of us warriors circled the compound, shooting flames where needed. Every now and then, one of us would dart down to set hunters on fire before they could shoot a unicorn in the back.

Most of the hunters had been caught inside the compound, but the ones that had managed to escape were fighting dirty.

It didn’t surprise me a bit to see the unicorns holding their own. I wouldn’t necessarily say this in front of my angel, but unicorns were generally known in my time for writing the book on fighting dirty—but what I saw changed my mind.

They fought ferociously and did not spare those who attempted to harm them, but they did so with honor.

After about twenty minutes of battle, with the building now consumed by the inferno of our dragonfire, I saw Cory cut through the sky.

I narrowed my eyes and saw a small gray dragon in the distance—he’d emerged from the northwest corner of the roof of a small building that was set apart from the main compound.

Fucking Orris. Ever the coward, he was abandoning his men to their deaths while he took off to live and fight another day.

Not this time, you slimy bastard.

I jetted through the night sky after Cory, in pursuit of the gray dragon. I would not interfere with our king’s revenge, but there was no way that I was going to let him go into battle with Orris unprotected.

Blaze, Sana, and I had devoted our lives to keeping him safe. I would not let him succumb to danger now.

With Blaze and Sana occupied with the hunters, the task fell on me. No matter what happened to my friends, I knew that my place was with Cory.

I heard Blaze roar behind me, his confidence bleeding into his tone. All of us were too focused to speak to each other even through our telepathic bond, but in that roar, I heard his encouragement and I knew he wished us well.

It gave me confidence that, even though we were flying into the unknown, we had support, and that was all I needed.

We would see this finished, we would end the life that had tried to end ours, and we would restore peace and safety to a world that didn’t even know it was in danger.